Riyadh: Civil Engineer at the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED), Manar Mansour, announced on Thursday that the project for adapting to and mitigating cross-border sand and dust storms between Kuwait and Iraq is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. This statement was made during the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. According to Kuwait News Agency, Manar Mansour shared these insights after a discussion session organized by KFAED in collaboration with UN-Habitat. The session, titled "Innovations in Monitoring and Mitigating Sand and Dust Storms in the Arab Region - Natural Solutions to Combat Desertification," was attended by Acting Director General of KFAED, Waleed Al-Bahar. Manar explained that the project aims to reduce the effects of desertification and enhance resilience to climate change. The project is designed to boost the resilience of cities in Kuwait and southern Iraq against cross-bord er sand and dust storms. It seeks to identify the causes of these storms, exchange knowledge, and develop strategies to reduce their frequency and severity by up to 40 percent. This will also help in decreasing annual sand and dust accumulation. Manar emphasized that the initiative will create a safer and more stable environment for residents, benefiting Kuwait and the surrounding region environmentally, economically, and socially. She further highlighted that the Kuwait Fund's involvement in this project aligns with its commitment to supporting Kuwait's local, regional, and international environmental objectives, contributing to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
